Local News & Politics
This Week in Inweekly: Pride, Property Taxes, Data Centers & Downtown
The June 4 issue covers Pride Month events, DeSantis’s property tax amendment campaign, a fierce public backlash against data centers, Palafox’s reopening, and Silver Pride—plus Winners & Losers and a full Buzz roundup.
The new issue of Inweekly is out now. Read it at inweekly.net.
COVER STORY: Pride Month To-Dos
June in Pensacola is busy and queer as always. The cover story rounds up the best ways to make the most of Pride Month locally—from a free gender-affirming haircut at Salon San Carlos to the month’s centerpiece, PensaPride on Saturday, June 13.
| June 5–7 | Raquel Rea Heart at Cabaret |
| Sat., June 6 | Dorothy’s Community Resource Fair |
| Sun., June 7 | Silver Pride Tea Dance — Bayview Senior Center, 3–6 p.m. (see A&E below) & PFLAG Pensacola kayaking/paddleboarding |
| Sat., June 13 | PensaPride — buy tickets in advance, check new bag policy. After-party at Betty’s on Belmont. |
| Sat., June 20 | Perfect Pride Market at Perfect Plain Brewing Co. + WolfGang’s Pups for Pride drag bingo |
| Sat., June 27 | Dorothy’s Beats + Bubbles brunch on National HIV Testing Day & Prismatic by House of Androgyny at The Handlebar |
Full calendar at inweekly.net.
OUTTAKES: Same Old Stunt
By Rick Outzen
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants $5.5 million in public funds to “inform” Floridians about his property tax amendment—the same playbook he ran in 2024, when he spent $36 million in tax dollars to defeat the recreational marijuana and reproductive rights amendments.
- $10 million from a Medicaid settlement via the Hope Florida Foundation
- $4 million from opioid settlement funds
- $4.4 million from a DOT engineering contract
- $3.2 million from the Department of Education
- $1+ million from federal child protection grants
The Legislature never conducted a full accounting. State agencies failed to record nearly half the spending in the public contracting database.
“His use of taxpayer resources to fight Amendment 3 and 4 two years ago could look like a drop in the bucket by comparison.”
—Rep. Alex Andrade, Pensacola
The loophole: A new law bans public funds for political advertising about amendments—but allows governments to post “factual information” on websites. DeSantis exploits that carve-out with state-funded mailers directing homeowners to a savings-calculator site framing the amendment as one that “benefits Florida taxpayers.” That’s campaign copy, not neutral description.
Read the full column at inweekly.net.
WINNERS & LOSERS
| ? WINNERS | ? LOSERS |
|---|---|
| Dr. Eman El-Sheikh UWF’s associate VP for Cybersecurity and AI nominated for the 2026 Cybersecurity Woman of the World Edition Award. She has led more than $26 million in competitive grants and serves as U.S. Global Ambassador for the Global Council for Responsible AI. |
Veterans Memorial Park Restrooms After years of discussion, temporary trailer removals and budget disputes, the plan is now a prefabricated four-stall permanent restroom. Progress has been frustratingly slow. |
| UWF Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business Four faculty honored with Bear Impact Awards: Associate Dean Maggie Davis, Dr. Stephen LeMay, Business Manager Mary Holladay and Associate Dean Melissa Brode. |
City of Orange Beach Sheriff Chip Simmons accused Orange Beach police of transporting a homeless man 30 miles across state lines to Pensacola’s Waterfront Mission. Orange Beach disputed the account. Simmons released video he says tells a different story. |
| ReadyKids! The ReadingPals program at Brentwood Elementary helped 20 of 29 Pre-K students reach or exceed the kindergarten readiness benchmark. Every child who finished both assessments improved; 10 gained more than 100 points. |
Line-Item Veto DeSantis openly admitted using his veto as a political tool, telling a Federalist Society gathering he weighs legislators’ support for his agenda before approving their budget projects. Democrats called it retribution. |
NEWS: Data Center Attracts Opposition
Five companies have approached FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance about building a data center in Escambia County. FloridaWest CEO Chris Platé signed an NDA with one defense AI company interested in a smaller northern-county facility—but signaled the project may self-eliminate because local power infrastructure likely can’t support future expansion.
“The biggest issue, No. 1, is the water—not only the consumption but what it will send back to the aquifers. People in Georgia have brown water coming out of their pipes.”
—Brandy Johnson, petition organizer
Possible sites:
- Century — State Rep. Michelle Salzman cited available land, multiple utility sources and strategic location. Town Administrator Dave Murzin called current talk “much ado about nothing.”
- The Bluffs, Cantonment — 6,300-acre industrial campus FloridaWest has promoted since 2015 without a shovel in the ground. Rail access, I-10 connections and ECUA reclaimed water capacity make it a candidate. Commissioner Steven Barry said no one has formally approached him.
Mayor Reeves: “I will not be a proponent of data centers inside the city limits anytime soon.”
Opponents plan to pack the Board of County Commissioners meeting on June 17.
Read the full story at inweekly.net.
THE BUZZ
The Gulf Winds Foundation awarded up to $45,000 to five student members. Recipients: Myiah Alverson (nursing, UA), Ellie Nissim (international studies, FSU), Sarah Schultz (vocal performance, Samford), Colton Rollin (Rex Burt Trade Scholarship, lineman program at Bishop State) and Emma Grayce Fuqua (Micah Williams Memorial Scholarship, nursing at USA). Total giving since 2007: $342,500 for 80 students.
South Palafox reopened June 1, with Government, West Romana and West Intendencia streets opening as well. Formal dedication: Saturday, July 4, 10 a.m., Plaza Ferdinand. Free parking continues through at least Oct. 1. Proposed change: senior parking permits expanded to all seniors (not just city residents) at $10/month, linked to license plates—no app required.
Lumos, installing T-Mobile’s fiber network, agreed to operational changes after months of complaints about damaged rights-of-way. Commitments include: cutting city production by 50%, restoring disturbed areas within 48 hours, door-hanger notices before crews arrive and completing each neighborhood before moving on. Contact: 1-800-905-9017 or constructionsupport@lumos.net.
A No Kid Hungry Florida survey found 8 in 10 Floridians say food costs outpace their income; nearly half have gone deeper into debt to afford groceries. Half of parents with children reported skipping meals. 96% of respondents—including 95% of Republicans—agreed child hunger should not exist in Florida.
State Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Crestview) secured 21 projects in the proposed $114.5 billion state budget directing approximately $30 million to Northwest Florida. Top recipients: UWF ($9.25M), Pensacola State College ($5.5M), Andrews Institute ($3M), Baptist Gulf Breeze Hospital ($2M). Community awards go to Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola, Pensacola Veterans and Families Mental Health, Pensacola Little Theatre and Historic Pensacola, among others.
The Downtown Improvement Board’s “All I Want: Construction Edition” generated more than $101,800 in tracked spending across 87 businesses during the 11-week Palafox project. Leaders: Monkee’s ($25,000), Schmidt’s Music ($18,000), Pensacola Hair Shop ($6,800). More than 82% of entries came from Escambia County residents.
The Pensacola Beach Junior Lifeguard Program is accepting applicants ages 13–15. Tryouts: 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 6, Quietwater Beach (~400-yard open water swim + 1-mile sand run). Fee: $200 (check/money order only). Sessions: June 15–26 and July 21–Aug. 1. Register at myescambia.com.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: Pride at Any Age
Pride Month in Pensacola has historically centered younger crowds—but this year, one event is shifting focus to the generation that helped pave the way.
The inaugural Silver Pride Tea Dance, hosted by Sunday’s Child and Stamped Film Festival, is designed for LGBTQ+ adults 50 and older. It grew out of an intergenerational roundtable at last year’s Stamped Film Festival, where an attendee named Storne Shively spoke movingly about isolation. Storne passed away earlier this year.
“Which for me highlights even further the importance of this event. This is for all of us, and it is for her.”
—Laynie Gibson, president, Stamped Film Festival
Organizers chose the Bayview Senior Center and the tea dance format—a daytime social gathering with deep roots in queer history—over a bar or nightclub. The afternoon features live music from Lex and the Luthors, emcee Chesley from Polkadot Entertainment, an open bar from Dorothy’s, heavy hors d’oeuvres and resources from Stamped Film Festival, Sunday’s Child, Oasis, Pensacola Free Mom Hugs, PFLAG, Emerald Coast Equality and others. Younger guests and plus-ones are welcome.
What: A celebration for LGBTQ+ adults ages 50 and up
When: 3–6 p.m. Sunday, June 7
Where: Bayview Senior Center, 2000 E. Lloyd St., Pensacola
Cost: Free; $10 suggested donation benefiting Stamped Film Festival and Sunday’s Child
Info: @_sundayschild, @stampedfilmfestival
The June 4 issue of Inweekly is out now. Read the full Pride calendar, complete news stories, columns and every feature above—plus more—at inweekly.net. Independent local journalism for Pensacola and Escambia County, every week.
